Car-truck bolster.



J. M. ROHLFING. CAR TRUCK BOLSTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.19, 1912. l I 1,059,072. Patented Apr. 15, 1913 2SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. JOHN M'. `ROHLFING, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,A-SSIGNOR'ITO AMERIOAN CAR `ANI) I FOUNDRY COMPANY, 0F ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI, A'CORPOBATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

CAR-TRUCK BoLs'rER.

. Specicaton of Letters Patent. y

Iatented Apr. 15, 1913.

' Application led January 149, 1912. Serial No. 672,133'.

To allfwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN M. ROHLFIG, a citizen of the United States,residing at? St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certainl new anduseful Improvement in Car-Truck Bolsters, of which lthe following is afull,

truck provided with my improved bolster.

F ig. 2 is a side elevational view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, takenlongitudinally through the center of my car truck, provided with myimproved bolster.; Fig. 4 'is an end elevational view partly inverticalsection.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in bolsters forcar trucks, the

object being yto construct a bolster which will have the advantages ofwhat is known as a swinging bolster and also thecharacteristics of aspring supported bolster, the

swinging bolster `being carried bythe springsupported bolster whichlatter is mounted in the side truck frame in the usual way.

One of thel particular advantages o-f my improved construction is thatthe bolster is adapted for use in connection with nearly all forms ofcar truck side frames of the present construction, and the bolster canbe readily combined with an ordinary freight car truck and therebyobtain all the desir.-l

able features of a passenger truck frame.

`Bolsters of my improved construction permit of a substantial reductionof the wheel base of trucks, which is, in'some instances, verydesirable. l

In the drawings: 1 indicates the truck side frame provided with theusual bolster guides 2 between which is slidingly mounted a bolstermember 3 supported bysprings 3a carried on the bottom -arch bars 1a.

While I have illustrated one type of truck side frame the principalmember of which is cast, it is obvious that my improved bolster may bemounted in anyv of the well known types oftruck side frames.

, The bolster member ,3 before referredto is shown as a casting, but itcould alsok be made up of'rolled members, the essential characteristicsof this bolster member lbeing an opening in its center in which ismounted vthe swlnging member l4, the latter carrying the center plate 5and being provided with side bearings 6. This swinging member 4 mayrestdirectly upon hangers or stirrups 7 and I prefer tointerpose ellipticalsprings 8 between the swinging member 4 and the cross carrying member ofsaid stirrups. This swinging member 4 is shown as two rolled'channelsconnected together'- at their centers by the center plate and at theirends by the spring saddle blocks and castings 10; but it is obvlous thatthe springing member vcould be made of cast metal,l if desired.'

The ends o f the spring supported bolster member 3 are formedwit-hinwardly opening spring housing in' which are located springs 11,theends of said springs being seated in plungers 12 lslidingly mounted insaid .spring housings and whose inner ends bear against the end lwallsof the swingingmember 4. The plungers 12 cooperate with the inner wallsof t-he sprin housings and act as guides to keep the longitudinally mov`able bolster properly centered within the fixed bolster 3.

The stirrups are preferablyarranged at ing curves, the car body whichmoves out wardly by centrifligal force will be tilted slightly, thehanger adjacent the inside rail of the curvelowering the car body atthisl side, while the vhanger adjacent the outside rail curve will raisethat side of the car body Vso as to change the position ofthe body andits load to counter .ct the` tendency of the centrifugal force. npassing from acurve on to a straight track, the stirrups will swing totheir normal position righting the car, being assisted by the end springunder compression. These end springs which coL operate with the swingingmember of the bolster tend to yieldingly hold t-he samel in its centralposition soas -to resist undue motion.-

What I claim 1s:

1. .Infa truck, the lcombination of la very tically movable bolstermember spring-supported onl the truck frame, a longitudinally movablemember supported on said vertically movable member, housings carried bysaid vertically movable member, plungers. carried by sai/dlongitudinally movable meml ber and adapted fto 4,engage in. saidhousings on said side frames comprising a spring-sup- .f

ported outer member, the ends of which engage the bolster guides of theside frames, and a spring-supported inner member arranged within saidouter member.

3. The combination with truck side frames having bolster guides, of abolster supported on the side frames and comprising a member having anopening, the ends of which member engage the bolster guides of the sideframes, springs between said bolster member and the side frames, and aspring-supported bolster member arranged within the opening .in saidfirst mentioned member.

4. A truck construction comprising the combination of side framesincluding lower arch bars, springs carried by the lower arch bars, avertically movable and longitudinally fixed bolster member carried bythe said springs, and a longitudinally movable bolster memberspring-supported on the vertically movable bolster member.

5. In a, truck construction, the combination of side frames-includinglower arch bars and bolster guides, a vertically movable bolster memberspring-supported `on the lower arch bars and coperating with bolsterguides, and a longitudinally movable bolster member spring-supported onthe ,vertically movable bolster member.

6. In a truck construction, the combination of side frames includinglower arch bars, a vertically movable bolster member, coil springssupporting said vertically movable bolster member on said l'ower archbars, a longitudinally movable bolster member, and means includingelliptical spring supporting said longitudinally movable bolster memberon said. vertically movable bolster member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses, this 8th day of January, 1912.

JOHN M. ROI-ILFING. Witnesses:

PAUL M. BEARD, JAMES J. COOPER.

